"He’s always said that he alone could push you to a high position, and that his own strength and Talent are unmatched in this world."

"A man like that shouldn’t disappoint you, sister."

Ji Qinglian said this not only to stop Ji Qingyue, but also because it was what she hoped for in her heart.

She genuinely hoped Zhong Ming would win and make the arrogant Void Moon Sect suffer a huge loss.

But even as she hoped, she knew it was just a fantasy.

’With Zhong Ming’s strength and Talent, there’s a slim chance he could be evenly matched with Zhu Hao. But against Zhu Junfeng and Lin Kong, he’d stand no chance at all.’

’Still, it wouldn’t be bad to see the Void Moon Sect lose some face.’

The onlookers all had their own thoughts. Meanwhile, with no one to stop him, Zhu Hao’s gaze toward Zhong Ming was filled with killing intent.

"You bastard, you’ve made the worst possible choice. You shouldn’t have slandered our Void Moon Sect, and you certainly shouldn’t have left the Princess’s protection."

"I’ll make you understand what happens when you offend our Void Moon—"

His opponent’s incessant babbling made Zhong Ming sigh with growing impatience.

"Are you done yet?"

Zhong Ming’s impatient tone stunned Zhu Hao. He understood then that even now, Zhong Ming didn’t take him seriously in the slightest.

"Hah hah..." This made him start to laugh, a maniacal laugh born of pure rage. "You really think the Cultivators of our Void Moon Sect are trash."

Spreading his hands, Zhong Ming replied helplessly, "Isn’t that something I’ve said countless times already? So, are you ready?"

"Of course!"

BOOM!

The moment the word left his lips, a vast aura exploded from Zhu Hao’s body. It was the power of a pure late-stage Qi Cultivation expert.

Feeling this aura, the expressions of the surrounding onlookers all changed.

Some of the other late-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators among them wore bitter expressions.

"So strong!"

"Is this what a Major Sect is like? The density of his Magical Power is thirty times greater than mine."

"There’s no way to fight him. He could crush me with his Magical Power alone!"

Some sighed, while others glanced in Zhong Ming’s direction and shook their heads.

Clearly, they were not optimistic about Zhong Ming’s fate.

Others, however, looked at Zhong Ming with a hint of anticipation, waiting to see what kind of power he would display.

"To be so arrogant, to choose such a fierce, head-on confrontation in the face of a Major Sect’s slander... he must have some real power, right?"

Unfortunately for them, faced with Zhu Hao at full power, Zhong Ming didn’t unleash any overwhelming might.

He merely squinted his left eye lazily and glanced at Zhu Hao—a look one might give an ant blocking the path.

After that single glance, Zhong Ming turned his head and started walking toward Ji Qingyue.

"Huh?!"

"What’s with Zhong Ming? Why is he walking away?"

"Did he lose his nerve? Is he trying to seek protection from Princess Qingyue?"

"But in this situation, there’s no way Zhu Hao would allow... wait, something’s wrong with Zhu Hao!"

At first, the crowd couldn’t understand why Zhong Ming had turned away.

They couldn’t figure out why Zhong Ming, who had just been so fiercely defiant and ready to fight a disciple from a Major Sect, would turn and leave after just one look at Zhu Hao.

They understood even less why he would make such an irrational move.

The onlookers all felt that this was not a fight Zhong Ming could simply decide to stop.

"Disciples of the Void Moon Sect aren’t overly intimidated by the Princess."

Thinking this, everyone expected Zhu Hao to attack the moment Zhong Ming turned his back.

But soon, they realized something was wrong. In the face of Zhong Ming turning away, Zhu Hao... remained motionless.

Not only did he not attack, but the explosive aura around him had also fallen into disarray.

BOOM!

Before, although his rage had caused the Magical Power in his body to erupt like fire...

That "fire" had been a unified whole. Now, a violent and chaotic aura manifested around Zhu Hao.

It was as if several souls were fighting Zhu Hao for control of the Magical Power within him.

And "they" who fought for control showed no regard for Zhu Hao’s body. His face swelled to a purplish-red, and the veins beneath his skin bulged like little snakes about to burst.

SPURT...

In less than three breaths, the violent conflict caused blood to stream from Zhu Hao’s seven orifices. His body even showed faint signs of cracking and collapsing.

And through it all, Zhu Hao stood rooted to the spot, completely still.

No, he was moving. The aura around him grew more violent, more chaotic. The injuries covering his body multiplied, growing more and more horrific.

"???"

This bizarre and terrifying scene made everyone present gasp in unison, stunned for a moment.

When they came to their senses, all eyes turned as one toward Zhong Ming.

These people weren’t stupid. They knew very well that the grievous injuries that had suddenly appeared on Zhu Hao—who was preparing... no, who had already begun his duel with Zhong Ming—could not have been without a cause.

There was an extremely high probability that Zhong Ming had caused it.

But having reached this conclusion, they were completely baffled.

"Zhong Ming... how did he do it?"

"Exactly! I didn’t see any overwhelming Magical Power erupt from Zhong Ming."

"Forget Magical Power, he didn’t even attack. He just glanced at Zhu Hao."

"..."

The more they thought about it, the more they analyzed it, the deeper the chill in their hearts grew.

Because of the unknown, and because of Zhu Hao’s horrific state, the gazes of the ordinary people in the crowd no longer held any of their previous disdain, pity, or amusement.

Now, their hearts were filled only with horror and apprehension, and... a fear that coiled around their hearts like vines.

They weren’t the only ones who had grown to fear Zhong Ming. SWISH! As Zhong Ming turned his head, glanced at Ji Qingyue and Ji Qinglian, who was clinging to her arm, and started walking toward them...

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...

Ji Qinglian, the Commandery Princess who had originally hoped Zhong Ming would make the Void Moon Sect suffer a great loss, stumbled back several steps like a frightened rabbit.

She had moved back so hastily that she almost fell to the ground.

But at that moment, she couldn’t be bothered by her ungraceful actions. Her face was a mask of terror and astonishment as she stared at Zhong Ming.

’How can you be so strong?’

She had indeed hoped that Zhong Ming would make the people from the Void Moon Sect suffer.

But the victory she had imagined was one where Zhong Ming would win with great difficulty after a brutal duel.

This, where he had instantly killed an Inner Sect Disciple of the Void Moon Sect with a single glance—this dreamlike scene was something she had never conceived.

At the same time, she didn’t believe she could withstand an attack that Zhu Hao couldn’t, which made her afraid to even meet Zhong Ming’s gaze.

...

While she cowered in fear, on the other side, Qin Hongyu and Autumn Cicada, who had been watching the duel with smiles and a leisurely attitude, could no longer sit still.

At this moment, Qin Hongyu’s folding fan was crushed out of shape in her hand, her knuckles white. Autumn Cicada’s pupils contracted sharply, and she couldn’t conceal a momentary fluctuation in her aura.

However, the ripple in her aura was nothing compared to the turmoil in her heart and her overwhelming confusion.

Right now, whether it was Qin Hongyu, Autumn Cicada, Ji Qinglian, or the surrounding Cultivator onlookers...

Everyone present had only one question in their minds.

"How in the world did Zhong Ming manage to instantly kill Zhu Hao with just a single glance, and leave him in such a miserable state?!"